CLEVELAND — Last year, the Case Western Reserve University men's tennis team made school history, winning their first-ever National Championship. This season, they have a chance to do it again, and they're leaning on their experience and camaraderie to do it.
The Spartans have regular contests within their team to self-motivate—led by head coach Todd Wojtkowski.
"There have been a couple of deals that they've made with me. Last year I ended up having to get a tattoo on my leg and this year it's that I have to get an earring and wear it all summer when the weather's nice in Cleveland," Wojtkowski said.
The tattoo, the periodic table symbol for Iron with the NCAA trophy in the top right corner and record last season in the upper left corner, was the most drastic challenge so far.
Of course, Wojtkowski has taken more mild actions when his team reaches their goals.
"He's actually got a buzz cut that was from a challenge earlier this year," said senior Sahil Dayal.
From buzzing off his hair and growing a beard to getting a tattoo and perhaps soon getting his ear pierced, Wojtkowski has used these challenges to bring the team together.
"College tennis is all about team now. It's not about you anymore. It's about putting yourself aside, being selfless," the coach said.
Team captain Diego Maza said that the squad appreciates Wojtkowski's approach as they put in the work each day.
"We love it. It's fun. Not that we necessarily need more motivation, but it's just an extra bonus," Maza said.
Those incentives have, in fact, fostered so much camaraderie within the program that it has led to proven success for several years, including this one.
Since 2021, the Spartans have found themselves in the NCAA DIII Men's Tennis Championships. Last year was their first win.
Entering the Elite Eight, Case Western is looking to repeat what they did last year, using the motivation they've cultivated on the courts throughout the year to fuel them to a title.
"We talk [about] leaving blood on the court with every match we play," Dayal said. "Just to give it our everything in the Elite Eight and hopefully more."
And as they eye a second-straight national championship, they're also eager to keep putting Cleveland on the map.
"We are super proud of being from Cleveland and we want go keep representing that name as well as we can at Case Western Reserve University," Wojtkowski said.
The Spartans take on Bowdoin in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
